Pittsburgh Steelers Fanatic

The Good News, and the Tragic News

2009-07-04T16:00:00.000-07:00

The offseason is a very long time, and our admiration knows no bounds for those bloggers who are creative enough to come up with semi-intelligent posts when there really is not much happening. Today there are a couple of things worthy of a mention.

The first, and potentially good, thing is that the Steelers' 2009 draft choices are getting some love from the "experts." Specifically, our friends at Pro Football Weekly are predicting good things for Ziggy Hood, Kraig Urbik, et al. Rookies who contribute? A very good thing indeed.

The tragic news of course is the death of former NFL quarterback Steve McNair. In our lifetimes he may well have been the toughest quarterback ~ both physically and in terms of trying to beat ~ the Steelers have ever faced. In seventeen career games against the Steelers (including playoffs) Mr. McNair had most impressive numbers: 283 completions on 442 passing attempts (a completion percentage of 64.03), 3,250 passing yards, 363 rushing yards, 23 touchdowns passes (16 interceptions), and 3 rushing touchdowns. His career quarterback rating against the Steelers was 88.339. By way of comparison, his career completion percentage against all opponents was 60.1%, and his quarterback rating was 82.761.

Steve McNair was a great athlete and, based upon the testimonials pouring in, he was an even better person.

Rating the Wide Receivers

2009-05-14T10:30:00.000-07:00

During this interminable lull in actual football we look for nearly anything to sink our teeth into; and the good folks at The Sporting News have helped out by coming up with a ranking of NFL wide outs.

Larry Fitzgerald at #1? No big surprise there, but what bothers us is that Hines Ward came in at #18 behind such luminaries Terrell Owens (#6), Braylon Edwards (#7), and Chad Johnson (#16). Potential and physical skills mean only so much in professional sports ~ production is what counts, and Hines Ward is a superior receiver (and team player) to any of those three.

The Rooney Family is #1

2009-05-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

Sure it has been awhile since we have posted anything; but really whose fault is that? After all, if the National Football League would just play year-round we would have no problem finding something to read about much less write about.

In any event, our good friends at Sports Illustrated have identified both best, and worst, owners in the four major professional sports. Naturally our attention is focused almost entirely on the National Football League; and we are happy to report that the Rooney Family, fresh off its sixth Super Bowl championship, came in a at #1.

Also of interest is the fact that three of the four teams in the AFC North are represented in the rankings, with Baltimore owner Steve Bisciotti coming at #5 amongst the best owners and Mike Brown, the Cincinnati owner, coming in at #4 amonst the worst.

Personnel News Dominates

2009-04-28T13:00:00.000-07:00

Naturally last weekend's draft dominated the news, and with so many media outlets covering what has become a circus we did not feel inclined to get into a "blow-by-blow" reportage of what we (and, probably, you) were seeing on the NFL Network/ESPN. However, with Tuesday's news that Larry Foote is soon to be an ex-Steeler (a rumor that was floating around during the week leading up to the Super Bowl) we decided to add our two cents to everything going on.

So far as Mr. Foote goes, like many of you we are a bit nervous about turning over the starting position to Lawrence Timmons. There is no doubt that Mr. Timmons showed flashes of brilliance during the 2008 season (and he may be the fastest player on the roster), but we just do not see him as an inside linebacker. If LaMarr Woodley had not performed at a Pro Bowl level last season we would wonder if there were not plans to move him inside and Mr. Timmons outside. Then again, how many times does Dick Lebeau have to dazzle us with his genius before we all just relax?

As for the draft . . .

We just want it noted for the record that we were one of the first "media outlets" to report on Frank Summers (a.k.a. "Little Bus") as a potential late round pick for the Steelers. The young man has an interesting story (not the least of which is his dyslexia), one that involved going to Cal, redshirting, being placed on academic probation, leaving Cal, being offered a scholarship to play at USC but choosing UNLV instead. The folks at Pro Football Weekly like his size and his hands, but rated him as someone to be signed after the draft because of his lack of burst and inconsistent blocking.

It speaks to how little we know about player evaluation that A.Q. Shipley lasted until the seventh round. We were impressed by his work at the Combine, he was well-regarded by NFL Network's resident expert Mike Mayock, and was described by Ourlad's Draft Service as a "[t]ough and intense player." Mr. Shipley has the fundamentals to be a serviceable offensive lineman in the NFL; and that fact makes this a terrific pick for the seventh round.

We should know better than to doubt Kevin Colbert and the scouts of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but we are very dubious about the choice of Ra'Shon Harris in the sixth round. He certainly has good size ~ 6'3", 312 pounds ~ but Ourlad's rated him near the bottom of available defensive tackles (a score of 3.49, which in their system is indicative of a player who has some potential but is also borderline). Additionally, Pro Football Weekly in their very critical analysis indicated that Mr. Harris has "[q]uestionanle work habits."

Conversely, we like the choice of Keenan Lewis in the third round. On the field, Ourlad's describes him as a "[g]ood man to man cover corner with long arms . . . Can . . . drive quickly on the ball in the air." Pro Football Weekly sees him as a below average tackler who lacks toughness (ouch!). Off the field Mr. Lewis and his family have a pretty compelling story, having been displaced from the home in New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina.

The Steelers have their minicamp next weekend, and then "organized team activities" (OTA) May 19-21, May 26-28, June 2-4, and June 9-11. With so much activity on the horizon we believe that there will be more personnel moves in the offing.

Getting Draft Ready: Who is best?

2009-04-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

Lost in most mock drafts is just how good any one player is irrespective of their respective positions ~ i.e. is Alex Mack/Max Unger/Ebeb Britton the thirty-second best player available or just the player that best fits the Steelers' needs, or both?

A nice resource that came our way today is the Super 99 Ranking from the Sporting News. The rankings, which include 40-yard dash times, performance in the bench press, and other Combine-ish metrics; have USC quarterback Mark Sanchez as the best player available ~ and Matthew Stafford at #9.

As for players mentioned as being of interest to Pittsburgh, the highest rated player known to be on the Steelers' draft board is Alex Mack (Center, California) who comes in at #18, which would make him quite a value if available at the end of the first round. D.J. Moore, the cornerback out of Vanderbilt is #27; Ebben Britton, tackle from Arizona is #61; and Max Unger, center from Oregon, is #65.

Getting Draft Ready: The Draft Bible

2009-04-18T02:00:00.000-07:00

Like all of you, we are always looking for new mock drafts to satisfy our "need" for information about how the Steelers will use their picks in the upcoming NFL draft.

We came across NFL Draft Bible recently, and love its format.

Rather than simply predicting a particular player at a particular point in the draft the folks behind Draft Bible provide information about previous drafts ~ i.e. the player choices that worked out well (e.g. Ben Roethlisberger) and those that were not quite as . . . inspired (e.g. Ricardo Colclough) ~ as well as team's five-year record, and (most significant in terms of the draft) the team's areas of need and the players who will best fill those needs.

The site is as close to comprehensive as a single page can be; and, overall, a great resource

The 2009 schedule is up!

2009-04-14T16:30:00.000-07:00

The schedule for the 2009 regular season schedule has been released and posted to your favorite Pittsburgh Steelers blog.

The thing that most immediately jumped out at us is that the Steelers have to wait until week eight for their bye week ~ this after having had the bye in week six the past two seasons and week four during the 2005 and 2006 seasons. Indeed, the 2009 bye week is the latest since the 2004 season when Pittsburgh had week seven off, a season in which the Steelers went 15-1.

Getting draft ready: Multiple Mocks, multiple rounds

2009-04-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

Scott Wright's Draft Countdown: In his previous effort Mr. Wright had the Steelers choosing Max Unger at #32 and Jarron Gilbert, a defensive end from San Jose State University, at #64. However now that the Steelers have re-signed Chris Kemoeatu and Max Starks he believes offensive line is less of a concern. In this newest draft Mr. Writght projects Pittsburgh choosing Alphonso Smith, a cornerback from Wake Forest, with their first round pick. In the second round Mr. Wirght is standing by Jarron Gilbert at #64.

NFL Draft Dog: Another two round effort, this one has Pittsburgh selecting Eben Britton, an offensive tackle from Arizona, at #32 ~ no change from their earlier drat. In the second round they predict Coye Francies, a cornerback from San Jose State as the man at #64. They describe Mr. Francies as a "very underrated, talented cornerback. Didn't have a great combine run (4.56), but proved his talent with a fantastic Senior Bowl performance."

FF Toolbox: Multiple writers make multiple choices ~ most identify offensive line as the area the Steelers will target.

A number of these drafts are multiple rounds, and the last one listed here gives you seven rounds of draft goodness!

NFL Draft Blitz: Alex Mack will be the man at #32 according to these folks

My NFL Draft: Alex Mack again!

Draft Daddy: Alphonso Smith gets a second vote.

Draft King: Max Unger, our choice, is their choice.

The Football Expert: A seven round monster mock that has Alex Mack predicted at #32, and D.J. Moore (CB, Vanderbilt) at #64,

Getting Draft Ready: Five Days and Counting

2009-04-13T11:00:00.000-07:00

We are poring over mock drafts and scouting reports in anticipation of next weekend's NFL Draft; and in anticipation of a busy weekend we will offer up links to a variety of mock drafts each day between now and then.

Today we focus on Don Banks' most up-to-date draft at Sports Illustrated. We especially like this one because it moves away from the "average" mock draft ~ i.e. Matthew Stafford is not the number one pick. We have mentioned many times that we do not consider ourselves expert when it comes to player evaluation but we do believe that, all things being equal, choosing an offensive lineman with a high pick is almost always better than choosing a quarterback. Mr. Banks has an offensive lineman going at #1.

As for the Steelers, Mr. Banks has them choosing the versatile Max Unger with pick #32.

Coming Soon: The 2009 Regular Season Schedule

2009-04-09T20:00:00.000-07:00

The NFL released a statement today announcing that there will be an announcement next week. Specifically the NFL Network will broadcast the schedule release Tuesday, April 14th at 7:00PM (EDT).

The press release goes on to say that:

"fans who want to see their team’s entire schedule right away to plan their football season, NFL.com is the place to visit on Tuesday at 7:00 PM ET. NFL.com will be the first site to have the complete team-by-team and weekly schedules of all 256 regular-season games, listing opponents, sites and times. NFL.com will feature interactive components by giving fans a voice through chats, fan forums and poll questions.

Other features on the website will include analysis by NFL.com reporters and breakdowns of the division schedules. NFL.com will include which games will be on CBS, ESPN, FOX, NBC and NFL Network. There will also be printer-friendly versions of the team-by-team and week-by-week schedules."

Preseason Opponents Announced

2009-03-30T12:45:00.000-07:00

The NFL has announced the preseason opponents for all teams, and some game dates.

The Steelers will host the Arizona Cardinals in their preseason opener on August 13. That game will be televised by ESPN.

The dates for the remaining preseason games that Pittsburgh will play remain to be set; however they will play at Washington (sometime between August 20 - August 24), then host Buffalo (sometime between August 27 - 31), and finish up the preseason at Carolina (most likely September 3).

Getting Draft Ready: The Complete Draft Order

2009-03-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

With the awarding of 32 compensatory picks (more on that later) the order of the 2009 NFL Draft is now set. The Steelers will have picks 32 (first round), 64 (second round), 96 (third round), 132 (fourth round), 168 and 169 (final two choices of round five), 205 (end of round six), 226 (seventh round choice received from Tampa Bay in the Sean Mayhan trade), and 241 (seventh round).

For those of you who are working on your 256 pick mock draft here is the complete draft order for all teams:2009 NFL Draft Order

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Other Non-fiction order conspiracy

Competition Committee Update

2009-03-24T11:35:00.000-07:00

According to a report from the Associate Press some of the proposed rule changes have been adopted:

"NFL owners have passed four player safety rules for next season. One of them is the elimination of blindside helmet-to-helmet blocks.

The changes came Tuesday at the NFL meetings in California.

The new rules state that the initial force of a blindside block can't be delivered by a helmet, forearm or shoulder to an opponent's head or neck. An illegal blindside block will bring a 15-yard penalty.

Initial contact to the head of a defenseless receiver also will draw a 15-yard penalty.

On kickoffs, no blocking wedge of more than two players will be allowed. Also, the kicking team can't have more than five players bunched together pursuing an onside kick."

Competition Committee Proposals

2009-03-24T10:30:00.000-07:00

Rich McKay met with the media a few days ago to outline proposals that will be forthcoming from the Competition Committee, and we thought you might be interested to see what is being discussed.

Bunch formations on kickoffs: Since requiring kickoff teams to keep a minimum number of players on one side of the kickoff formation teams have moved increasingly to grouping players in a tight bunch inside the hash marks in an attempt to disguise what its intentions were. The proposal would require teams to line up in a more easily discernible formation.

Reduce the number of players in the wedge: According to Mr. McKay some teams use three or four players in the wedge when returning kicks. Mr. McKay told the media that some teams do not use a wedge at all, therefore three or more players in that role "will [not] adversely affect kickoffs." We're not sure of the logic there, but that is what he said.

The Hines Ward Rule: Technically this rule would ban blocking defenders in the head, but the hit by Hines Ward on Cincinnati Linebacker Keith Rivers seems to be the impetus for this proposal.

No hits to the head of a receiver who has not yet received the ball: In this proposal no defender could hit a receiver in the "head area of the defenseless receiver" ~ i.e. a receiver who has not caught the ball. Mr. McKay indicated that a defender would not be permitted to "hit that receiver with your forearm or with your shoulder as that receiver has yet to catch the ball. In other words, have two feet on the ground with possession of the ball." This may be a result, in part, of Ryan Clark's wicked hit on Wes Welker last season.

Expanded Instant Replay: Two specific types of plays would become reviewable ~ "an incomplete pass where there is a recovery of a fumble," which would allow the play to continue (i.e. the fumble recovery would play out) and then provide for a review/challenge, and "a loose ball being out of bounds when it's recovered on the field of play." Mr. McKay referred to "a couple of kick plays where the ball landed right by the sidelines" as the impetus for that change.

No onside re-kicks: Currently the rule is that a foul on the kicking team during an onside kick does not result in a rekick. This proposal would extend that rule to the entirety of the game.

Changes that are adopted should be announced in the next day or two.

Expanding the schedule

2009-03-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

In a previous posting we speculated/hoped that the reconfiguration of the NFL's offseason would result in additional regular season games being added to the schedule.

Our wish is, apparently, going to come true.

According to a report from Judy Battista of the New York Times (who, we believe, has the press credential to the owner's meetings that would have otherwise been ours) the league is making plans to add "at least one regular-season game while reducing the preseason schedule." According to the report such a change would not occur any sooner than the 2011 season.

One can only wonder how the head coaches around the league will feel about such a change, and the players will surely want a piece of the enhancement to the league's revenue stream. As season ticket holders we would love such a change ~ paying a regular season price for an exhibition game has always seemed a bit exorbitant ~ and hope that it can be implented as quickly as practicable.

It's a Good News - Bad News kind of thing

2009-03-23T16:00:00.000-07:00

Word from the NFL is that LenDale White is going to be thrown to the wolves (i.e. Steelers fans) to open the 2009 regular season: "In a tradition that began in 2004, the Super Bowl champion annually hosts the NFL Thursday night season kickoff the following year. This September 10 at 8:30 PM ET on NBC, the Super Bowl XLIII champion Pittsburgh Steelers will host the AFC South champion Tennessee Titans, who had an NFL-best 13-3 record last season."

Like all Steelers fans we are looking forward to tormenting Mr. White for his Terrible Towel desecration during last season.

Not all the news from the league was good. Apparently the NFL has decided to allow DirecTV to keep its monopoly of the Sunday Ticket package ~ obviously all the rumors about the package becoming more widely available were incorrect, again. Here is the press release from the NFL, which includes information about enhancements to the package (emphasis added:

The National Football League announced today an agreement to extend DIRECTV’s rights to carry NFL Sunday Ticket. DIRECTV will continue to have exclusive television rights to air the package of Sunday afternoon games through the 2014 NFL season.

The agreement also significantly broadens the reach of NFL Sunday Ticket by enabling NFL fans that cannot receive DIRECTV satellite service to get NFL Sunday Ticket via broadband. This service will begin no later than 2012.

In addition, the NFL will offer fans (also no later than 2012) a new “Red Zone Channel” that shows crucial live action cut-ins of all Sunday afternoon games starting at 1 p.m. ET and continuing through the conclusion of the 4 p.m. ET games. The “Red Zone Channel” will be available to cable, telco and satellite systems, wireless devices, and the Internet.

“We are pleased to extend a partnership with DIRECTV that has complemented and supported our broadcast television packages for 15 years,” said NFL Commissioner ROGER GOODELL. “We are looking forward to having the Red Zone channel on cable and other media platforms as well as showing NFL Sunday Ticket via broadband to the homes that cannot get satellite. This new content enhances our tradition of being the most pro-consumer, widely available sport on television.”

“The NFL SUNDAY TICKET™ service has been a part of DIRECTV since our first year of operation and is one of the defining characteristics of our best-in- class positioning,” said Chase Carey, president and CEO of DIRECTV Group. “This latest extension allows us to retain and broaden our most popular sports subscription service. Through our wireless offering to NFL SUNDAY TICKET™ customers and the new broadband service to non-customers, we’re now able to expand the reach to even more NFL fans everywhere.”

Among the new features for fans are:
Red Zone Channel: subscribers who do not have DIRECTV will have access to the “Red Zone” channel through local cable systems or telco, satellite systems and Internet providers. This special channel has been part of NFL Sunday Ticket on DIRECTV the past four seasons and will continue for those subscribers. It provides live look-ins and real-time highlights from every Sunday afternoon game starting at 1 P.M. (ET) through the late afternoon games. The channel switches from game to game and airs live action when a team is in the Red Zone (inside the 20-yard line) and poised to score. A host also provides real-time scoring and fantasy updates.

NFL Sunday Ticket on Broadband: Fans who live in areas where DIRECTV’s service is not available, such as apartment buildings or in residences with poor sightlines to a satellite signal, will be able to purchase a new NFL Sunday Ticket broadband package.
DIRECTV customers who purchase NFL SUNDAY TICKET™ and the SuperFan™ package receive all Sunday afternoon games in HD; a Game Mix channel with up to eight games on one screen; the Red Zone Channel; the SUPERCAST™ service that streams every live NFL SUNDAY TICKET™ broadcast to laptop computers; and the NFL SUNDAY TICKET™ Mobile service that delivers up-to-the-minute highlights, and soon full-length games, to cell phones, pda’s and other wireless devices.

The current deal, which was set to expire following the 2010 season netted the league a reported $700,000,000 ~ details were not released on how much this new deal will bring to the league.

NFL Owner's Meetings: A Preview

2009-03-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

We have to admit to a little disappointment. The NFL Owner's meetings are being held in Dana Point, California; and to say that the location of those meetings is close to home would be an understatement ~ indeed the hotel where the meetings are at is a stopping point for our weekend bike ride. But the league turned down our credential request (it is hard to blame them ~ you have seen this blog, do you think of us as "media"?), so we are relying on the usual suspects for our information ~ just like you.

The folks at Pro Football Weekly are predicting big changes including a shift in when the draft is held which in turn would alter the college all-star games (e.g. the Senior Bowl) and the Combine.

All of that is well-and-good, but what concerns those of us who love the game (both during the season and the off-season) is a desire amongst league leaders to "create a lengthy break from league business — allowing for ample downtime in May and June."

One can only hope that such a reconfiguration of the off-season would improve the potential for an additional game (or two) to the regular season ~ anything to breakup the monotony!

What a proud day

2009-03-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

Perhaps we are making too much of this, but the announcement today that Steelers owner Dan Rooney has been chosen to be the U.S. ambassador to Ireland seems like a pretty big deal for the people of Pittsburgh, and Steelers fans everywhere.

As season ticket holders we are just wondering whether or not we could drop in on the Ambassador when/if we make it over to the Emerald Isle?

Happy St. Patrick's Day one and all!

Light posting for a bit longer

2009-03-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

The day job is unexpectedly heating up, and as a result it is a bit tougher than usual to keep the entertaining and illuminating postings rolling.

Things should be closer to normal next week ~ we did just receive the invoice for our 2009 regular season tickets (it looks as though there is no price hike in our level of seats, the first time that has happen in the five seasons we have had the tickets) ~ so hang in there for a little bit longer!

Kirby Wilson visits Sin City

2009-03-06T08:30:00.000-08:00

We do not know if Steelers running back coach Kirby Wilson attended Ben Roethlisberger's recent birthday soiree in Las Vegas, but he reportedly was in town recently to attend UNLV's pro day ~ and apparently saw a tremendous performance Frank Summers.

Mr. Summers, a running back for the Rebels, suffered a knee injury in a game last season versus San Diego State; and perhaps as a result of that was not invited to the NFL Combine. According to an article in the Las Vegas Sun Mr. Summers put on quite a show running a 4.55 40-yard dash (which would have been eighth best at the Combine), a 34.5 inch vertical jump (outside of the top ten), and 30 repetitions in the bench press (225 pounds, would have been tied for first at the Combine).

According to the article one scout described Mr. Summers as "a junior Bus."

Late round pick? Undrafted free agent? Time will surely tell.

Is Bryant McFadden Returning to Pittsburgh?

2009-03-05T08:30:00.000-08:00

In an article in today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Ed Bouchette discusses the relative lack of activity by the Steelers in the free agent market. But we are beginning to wonder if there are not some things in the works that could bubble to the surface in the next couple of weeks.

What piqued our interest is the NFL's official list of free agent signings; more accurately what piqued our interest is who is not on the list ~ Chris Kemoeatu. Like nearly everyone we were thrilled to hear of Mr. Kemoeatu's return to Pittsburgh however no such signing has been reported to the league office (as of 3/4/09). Indeed, the only official signing that has occurred in Pittsburgh is the re-signing of Sean McHugh which was reported on March 2.

As Mr. Bouchette points out in his article negotiations with James Harrison's agent are still ongoing, as are negotiations with the agent for Max Starks. The signing of more cap-friendly contracts by those two players, along with free agent signings in Arizona (i.e. Kurt Warner) and Detroit (i.e. cornerback Phillip Buchanon and running back Maurice Morris) ~ two teams that are perceived, along with the Steelers, as being most interested in Mr. McFadden's services ~ may be creating some downward pressure on Mr. McFadden's negotiating position. Stated as a question, is the market for Bryant McFadden breaking the Steelers' way?

Of course it could also be possible that more cap-friendly contracts for current players may be required in order to re-sign Mr. Kemoeatu ~ but we like Mr. McFadden and are trying to keep hope alive.

Season in Review: Third Down (2008)

2009-03-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

We press on with our look at the performance of the Pittsburgh offense on a down-by-down basis with an examination of third down. As you may recall, the 2008 performance of the offense on downs one and two was pretty poor; so what did that mean, overall, for the offense?

As with previous downs we look at the mix of run-to-pass for 2008 in the historical context of the past nine seasons (i.e. 2000-2008, inclusive):

	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Rushing Plays, 3rd Down	56	73	60	48	64
Passing Plays, 3rd Down	174	162	163	179	155
Total Off. Plays, 3rd Down	230	235	223	227	219

	2005	2006	2007	2008
Rushing Plays, 3rd Down	66	36	49	30
Passing Plays, 3rd Down	126	181	172	194
Total Off. Plays, 3rd Down	192	217	221	224

Despite the poor performance in the early downs Pittsburgh's offense "only" faced the fourth highest number of third downs during this nine season period. Of course the most important thing about third down is whether or not the offense converted it into a first down. We look at that in two parts. First, a breakdown of the offensive plays by distance required for a first down/touchdown:

The numbers never lie ~ while the number of short-yardage plays was far from its highest level (i.e. 106 in 2004) there was a slight improvement over 2007. Of more interest is the fact that the four seasons in which the offense has had the fewest third-and-shorts have been the past four seasons. Clearly this past seasons's early down struggles were no anomaly. On the other hand the number of "third-and-who-are-we-kidding" plays (i.e. more than ten yards needed) was at its lowest point since 20003 (also 42), and was tied for the third lowest total of the past nine seasons.

With that in mind we now look at the all-important third down conversion rate. Here is how it looks for the past nine seasons:

A pretty unique "pattern" emerges, one that has involved a couple of two year trends (downward in 2001 and 2002, upward in 2006 and 2007) and some swings back-and-forth in-between. Coincidentally, in the four most recent seasons the two that saw the worst third down conversion rate were 2005 and 2008 ~ seasons that saw the Steelers win the Super Bowl.

Eben Britton speaks

2009-03-03T08:45:00.000-08:00

University of Arizona offensive tackle Eben Britton has been mentioned as a possibility to the Steelers with their pick in the first round; so we read with particular interest an essay he wrote for for Sporting News Today.

Entitled "You have to do whatever it takes to protect your quarterback" (what it lacks in panache it makes up for with clarity), Mr. Britton speaks with great enthusiasm on his admiration for Kyle Turley ~ the former NFL offensive lineman best remembered for an incident while a member of the New Orleans Saints in which he tore the helmet off the head of a defensive player and threw it (i.e. the helmet) across the field.

Oh, and there is alleged incident when Mr. Turley was playing in St. Louis in which he may have threatened to kill then head coach of the Rams Mike Martz (an accusation denied by Mr. Turley).

In his essay Mr. Britton describes a "Turley moment" of his own from last season in which he and a defensive lineman squared off. I have no doubt that draft evaluators will highlight Mr. Britton's "nastiness" as being a possible asset (both Chris Kemoeatu and Willie Colon were described that way by some draft experts when they were coming into the league). However I have visions of a young player losing his cool in a big game at an inopportune moment and hurting the Steelers' cause.

Former Steeler Missing ~ Updates

2009-03-02T12:00:00.000-08:00

Update #4: 3/2/09 12:00PM (PST)
The Coast Guard has released photographs of the rescue of Nick Schuyler. Here is one:

Update #3: 3/2/09 11:00AM (PST)
The St. Petersburg Times is reporting that one of the four missing men has been found alive, and is now at Tampa General Hospital.

Update #2: 3/1/09 5:30PM (PST)
Bay9 News in Tampa is reporting that the missing boat was owned by Marquis Cooper, not Corey Smith as was previously reported by the Associated Press, and "was about 50 miles out in the Gulf [of Mexico]." There is no indication in the Bay 9 report as to the source of that information.

Their report goes on to say that inclement weather is hindering the search.

Update #1: 3/1/09 3:00PM (PST)
The Coast Guard's District Seven is responsible for this rescue mission and have released a statement regarding the mission which reads in part:

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg, Fla., received a call at about 1: 30 a.m., Sunday, reporting that four friends, Victor "Marquis" Cooper, Nick Skyler, Corey Smith and William Bleakley did not return from their fishing trip as expected. The four boaters left at about 6:30 a.m., Saturday, from the Seminole Boat Ramp in Clearwater Pass, in a 21-foot center console boat.

A Coast Guard 47-foot motor-life boat crew from Station Sand Key, Fla., HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and C-130 Hercules fixed-wing aircrews from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, and the Coast Guard Cutter Crocodile are searching a 750-square mile area west of Clearwater Pass for the missing boaters. An Urgent Mariner Information Broadcast (UMIB) is also being transmitted on marine VHF radio channel 16.

If anyone has any information regarding this case they are asked to call Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg at or by marine VHF radio channel 16.

Here is a look at the area from which the four men departed:

View Larger Map

Original Post
Former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Marquis Cooper, who may be best remembered in Pittsburgh for wearing jersey number 55 following the departure of Joey Porter in 2007, is reportedly missing at sea.

A report from the Associated Press indicates that Mr. Cooper and Corey Smith, a defensive end with the Detroit Lions, left Saturday morning aboard Mr. Smith's 21-foot boat on a fishing trip. The two were expected to return the same day but did not, and have not been heard from.

According to the same report the Coast Guard is searching a 750 square mile area for the two.

During two separate stints in Pittsburgh Mr. Cooper played in five games. Last season he played in eight games for the Oakland Raiders.

Pro Days Schedule Announced

2009-02-28T13:15:00.000-08:00

In the lead-up to the NFL draft a great deal of attention is paid to the Combine, and understandably so. However another part of the draft preparation for NFL teams is attendance at the so-called "Pro Days" for players in whom they have an interest. As described at NFL.com "[t]hese are not as all-encompassing as the combine, but they are important enough for the key decision-makers in the league to travel around the country for more than a month to see the talent up close and personal."

The schedule for these workouts is available at NFL.com, and some of the more interesting workouts include (in alphabetical order):

Alabama (March 11): Andre Smith ~ can he recover from his Combine debacle?

Arizona (March 14): Eben Britton, currently projected by more than a few as being of interest to the Steelers, will be looking to enhance his standing amongst the scouts.

Arkansas (March 10):Center Jonathan Luigs has been projected by some as a possible second round choice for Pittsburgh. He had a solid Combine performance (5.07 40-yard dash and a 31" vertical jump); but questions persist about his strength.

California (March 18): Alex Mack did not participate in drills at the Combine, and his pro day performance may mean the difference between going somewhere in the top 25 picks of the first round or falling to Pittsburgh at #32 ~ or beyond.

Connecticut (March 25): In the earliest mock drafts William Beatty was viewed as someone who could end up in Pittsburgh with the final choice of the first round. Mr. Beatty had a nice time in the 40-yard dash (5.03) but did not perform as well in the 20-yard shuttle or the bench press. Despite that, conjecture is that he is moving up most draft boards.

Iowa (March 23): Robert Bruggeman, an offensive lineman, was one of the top performers in the bench press at the Combine but did not participate in the 40-yard dash or any other running drills. Has been mentioned as a possible second round choice for the Steelers.

Oregon (March 12): Our favorite, Max Unger, looks to impress after a mediocre performance at the Combine.

Penn State (March 18): A.Q. Shipley was a top ten Combine performer in the bench press, vertical jump, three-cone drill, 20-yard shuttle, and was tied for fourteenth best in the 40-yard dash. We wonder what more he has to prove?

Richmond (March 19): Lawrence Sidbury Jr. was a monster at the Combine ~ performing in the top ten in the 40-yard dash, vertical jump, broad jump, and 20-yard shuttle ~ and his size (6'2", 266) leads us to believe that he could be the next young outside linebacker to join the Steelers. The scouts at Ourlads gave him good marks for his performance at the Senior Bowl while still suggesting that he must improve in both his play against the run and expanding his repertoire of pass rushing moves.

Texas Tech (March 12): Michael Crabtree ~ will he or won't he? Also, offensive lineman Louis Vasquez, who led all offensive linemen at the Combine with 39 repetitions in the bench press, will workout as well.

UCLA (March 31): Any self-respecting alumni of UCLA would highlight their pro day. Running back Kahlil Bell was a top performer at the Combine in the 3-cone drill, 20-yard shuttle, and 60-yard shuttle; but his 4.68 time in the 40-yard dash is likely to keep him off draft boards. However, he is a strong, muscular runner (5'11", 212 lbs.) who could make a career for himself as a fullback.

Vanderbilt (March 5): Cornerback D.J. Moore, mentioned by some as a possible first round selection for the Steelers, will try to improve on a fair Combine performance.

Wisconsin (March 4): Offensive lineman Kraig Urbik will try to convince Steelers scouts that he is worthy of a second round selection.

Dates and participants will be added to the Pro Day schedule as they become available (i.e. bookmark that page).